Family – a group of individuals that share a common ancestry. When I posted in September that Salem has found her family, I had thought that to mean “our house.” Since then, “Salem has found her family” has taken on a whole new meaning. Salem has found her family, but it consists of a large group of people who share a common ancestry. She will be joining our extended family through a couple who has felt the call of adoption and is following that call. Salem’s name will be Elliana Kate Qiao Gross and she will be the younger sister of Anna Mei, Parker, Jacob and Carter, and the daughter of Rodney and Marcy. Salem and Anna will be virtual twins.
This exciting news has been in the process since the weekend following our devastating news that we could not be her forever family. When I shared with the CHI staff how Salem had become such a special part of our family, as well as our extended family, they immediately asked whether anyone in our extended family were in a position and would want to pursue the adoption of this precious little girl. Some of our siblings would have stepped in and adopted, but due to the strict qualifications of the CCAA, did not qualify. This was hard for some of our siblings to deal with, because they would have done anything in their power to provide a home for this little girl who had stolen our hearts. When I shared with Marcy and Rodney the question posed by CHI and asked them to help us pray about this situation, they expressed an interest, if and only if, we would be comfortable with that. After many prayers, sleepless nights and stunned responses from affected family members, they have made the commitment to adopt Salem.
I know this will come as a shock to many. How and why does this have to happen? Are you sure you can handle the feelings that will come about by this decision? How will you deal with this each time you see her? The questions could go on and on. But the answer lies in knowing that we have made the best choice faced with the options we had. We prayed and asked God to help us find some answers to the questions we were faced with immediately. What is going to happen to this little girl we love so dearly? Will she go to a home and family where she will be loved the way we would have loved her? We could not stand the thought of her file being sent back to China. Our ultimate goal from the beginning was for her to have a family. Yes, we wanted her to be ours, but when faced with the fact that she could not be ours, we wanted the best for her. We know we have made the right decision and she will be loved more than she will even be able to comprehend.
Before posting to the blog about Salem's family receiving their PA, Marcy and I had talked and felt it may not be appropriate to share some of the details of Salem’s story on a public blog. Since then, after letting our family members know the whole story and feeling the love and support of each of them, we feel we can share it with others. We want you to know the love we feel for the children of this world who don’t have a family to call their own. If by seeing the love we have for Salem will convince just one to act on the love and conviction to help another child, that is one more child that will have a family to call their own.
We are still praying and asking God to lead us down the next path He has for us. He has placed a powerful love and strong conviction in our hearts for these children. Where will we go? We are not sure at this time, but we are open to what God desires for our lives. I am thankful I have had Him to lean on during these past several months and I am sure I will need Him for strength and wisdom on how to handle the future.
Thank you for following this blog. Salem means peace, and I am starting to feel peace in everything that has transpired in the past seven months. If you would like to, Rodney and Marcy invite you to follow their journey to bring Elli home. Their blog title is "Journey to Elli" and the address is www.journeytoelli.blogspot.com.
Please help us in sending love and prayers to "Elli" and her soon-to-be-sister. Anna Mei is having her first surgery tomorrow morning to repair her cleft lip/palate and she has an anxious mom and dad who need our prayers. Our prayers are for a quick and pain-free recovery.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Finally a PreApproval for Qing Zu Qioa (Salem)
I received a call on Friday morning from the family adopting Salem letting us know they have received PreApproval from China. The next step for them is to submit the paperwork (dossier) proving they are who they say they are in the initial paperwork (Letter of Intent and Introduction letter). Hopefully they will be able to complete their paperwork quickly.
After learning that the CCAA denied us PreApproval for Salem, I contacted CHI and asked them to please not send her file back to China. I explained to them how deeply we loved her. I told them how she had become a part of a large extended family, including church, work and a community, and the love they feel for her is great. I told them I had asked them to continue to pray for her and for CHI to find a family for her. I asked them to please find a family that will love and cherish her as deeply as we have and would have in the future. I explained to them that I had seen the love that the CHI family has for their children and I want her to be a part of that family. I asked them to please find her a strong Christian family that will teach her scripture and be the support she needs throughout her life. CHI honored every one of those wishes and I will be forever grateful for the love and support I received from them during that time. They were heartbroken for us because of our loss, but the ultimate goal in this whole process was for a little girl to find a forever "family" and that is what has happened.
We have been assured by Salem's family that we will be a part of her life. Our family will have the opportunity to know her. She will at some point in her life know her story. She will know what part we played in her life and how much we loved and cherished the time she spent as "ours" in our hearts. We will continue to love her and pray for her as she grows. She holds a very special place in each of our hearts and the love we have felt for her will never be forgotten and will continue to grow.
To all of those who donated items for the yard sales, bought items in support of our efforts, and donated money to prevent the "vintage couch" from being delivered to your front porch, that money has been forwarded to the family of Qing Zu Qiao. That was money to bring her home, and that is where the funds will be used. We felt very strongly from the beginning that all those funds belonged to her adoption expenses and her family will be using that money to bring her home. Thank you to each one who donated. She will have a forever family partly because of something you contributed.
Salem's family is very excited about their journey to their newest soon-to-be daughter. Please pray for their wisdom, strength, health, guidance, and provisions in order to bring her home soon. They are following a ministry that has been placed on their lives. God has called them to provide a home and family for those in need and we will continue to be supportive of their ministry.
Special prayers for the next step in Salem's life. She has been loved for many months and soon she will feel that love first hand.
After learning that the CCAA denied us PreApproval for Salem, I contacted CHI and asked them to please not send her file back to China. I explained to them how deeply we loved her. I told them how she had become a part of a large extended family, including church, work and a community, and the love they feel for her is great. I told them I had asked them to continue to pray for her and for CHI to find a family for her. I asked them to please find a family that will love and cherish her as deeply as we have and would have in the future. I explained to them that I had seen the love that the CHI family has for their children and I want her to be a part of that family. I asked them to please find her a strong Christian family that will teach her scripture and be the support she needs throughout her life. CHI honored every one of those wishes and I will be forever grateful for the love and support I received from them during that time. They were heartbroken for us because of our loss, but the ultimate goal in this whole process was for a little girl to find a forever "family" and that is what has happened.
We have been assured by Salem's family that we will be a part of her life. Our family will have the opportunity to know her. She will at some point in her life know her story. She will know what part we played in her life and how much we loved and cherished the time she spent as "ours" in our hearts. We will continue to love her and pray for her as she grows. She holds a very special place in each of our hearts and the love we have felt for her will never be forgotten and will continue to grow.
To all of those who donated items for the yard sales, bought items in support of our efforts, and donated money to prevent the "vintage couch" from being delivered to your front porch, that money has been forwarded to the family of Qing Zu Qiao. That was money to bring her home, and that is where the funds will be used. We felt very strongly from the beginning that all those funds belonged to her adoption expenses and her family will be using that money to bring her home. Thank you to each one who donated. She will have a forever family partly because of something you contributed.
Salem's family is very excited about their journey to their newest soon-to-be daughter. Please pray for their wisdom, strength, health, guidance, and provisions in order to bring her home soon. They are following a ministry that has been placed on their lives. God has called them to provide a home and family for those in need and we will continue to be supportive of their ministry.
Special prayers for the next step in Salem's life. She has been loved for many months and soon she will feel that love first hand.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Spring fever...but wait
Boy are we getting spring fever around here these days. The weather has been great the past couple of days and I'm ready for the season to change. The only things is, where we live and the time of year, it can be 70 degrees one day and snowing the next. We had our biggest snow of the season last Friday night, went sledding on Saturday, it melted on Sunday, and I rode with the windows down on the vehicle yesterday and today with capris and flip-flops on. I just wonder what tomorrow holds?!?
There has still been no word of the PreApproval for Salem, but the averages say anyday. Everyday that passes is another day she must spend without her family. I know God's timing is perfect in all things, and we trust His timing, but I want to see her with her family, soon.
We are still looking at our options, praying, and waiting. Sometimes God requires us to wait and that wait includes confident expectation and active hope in the Lord. I have faith and hope that God will let us know when, where, how and if we are to proceed. Please pray that nothing will hinder us from hearing His voice when He calls.
There has still been no word of the PreApproval for Salem, but the averages say anyday. Everyday that passes is another day she must spend without her family. I know God's timing is perfect in all things, and we trust His timing, but I want to see her with her family, soon.
We are still looking at our options, praying, and waiting. Sometimes God requires us to wait and that wait includes confident expectation and active hope in the Lord. I have faith and hope that God will let us know when, where, how and if we are to proceed. Please pray that nothing will hinder us from hearing His voice when He calls.
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